Pluto

Pluto, the outermost planet in our solar system, was officially demoted to "dwarf planet" status whilst I was a away on holiday, and blissfully out of touch with current events.

A few days after my return, I was asked "Is Pluto still a planet?" when on air on BBC Radio Stoke. Well, of course Pluto is still a planet! It's not disappeared or disintegrated. It's pretty much as it always has been. Pluto takes an amazing 248 years to make one circuit of our Sun, so in any birth chart it appears to move very slowly and remains in the same Zodiac Sign for many years. Like Uranus and Neptune, it's sometimes known as a "generational planet". I was born when Pluto was in Leo (1939 - 1958) - this generational span covers people born during and after the 2nd World War. Those born post-war are the "baby boomers" who are now reaching the age of 60.

Pluto was discovered in 1930, and like Uranus and Neptune, the other outer planets, it's discovery heralded the splitting of the atom and the development and eventual use of the atomic bomb. Pluto's energy is not cosy. In astrological psychology we view Pluto, as represented within the psyche of the individual, as the drive to renew ourselves and to become reborn. But before we can do this we have to plumb our own murky depths and clear out the things within us which have accumulated in dark corners. This takes courage, and by doing so we may have to confront those parts of ourselves which we'd rather not acknowledge, or would prefer to keep hidden. Pluto is about us becoming a "perfect being", leaving behind our outworn responses and actions, and moving on to a higher and more enlightened plane of being. To help us in this task it may be useful to bring to mind the qualities of people we admire ( such as our heroes and heroines) which we aspire towards.

And of course, Pluto is going to be there at the far distant edge of the solar system, regardless of whether it is classified as a "full" planet or a dwarf planet. It was there long before it was discovered, and now it's been around for over 70 years it's not suddenly going to go away. For astronomers, its size and status might matter, but for astrologers (well, this one anyway!) Pluto will remain as a planet of great significance.

It embodies powerful transformative energies which are there for us as human beings, part of humanity as a whole, to draw upon and use to raise ourselves up to a higher level. How can we do without this at a time when the survival of life on earth as we know it now is under threat from mass materialism and global warming? It's time to wake up and make some radical changes and transform our way of being, and this is the very thing that Pluto's good at!

Read about Pluto and the other planets in my co-authored book "The Cosmic Egg Timer"

Saturn

Astrological symbolism is all around! The qualities of the planets, which in the Huber Method represent our psychological drives, can be found everywhere in the environment - if we know how to to look for them! Take, for instance, Fort Boyard, pictured here. Located off the west coast of France, it's a strong, enclosed, impenetrable fortress. Surrounded by sea, it could be a haven of safety for those inside. Trying to get into it would be extremely difficult, it would be relatively easy to repel all unwanted visitors and if this structure were a person, they would be an expert at "stone-walling"!

Boyard has strong Saturnian qualities. Saturn is the planet which represents our drive for safety, security, our need for fixity, protection, for keeping things the way they are, as well as our need for structures, rules and systems that work efficiently.

Astrologically, Saturn is not always regarded as a bundle of laughs. It's a bit too solemn, stern and forbidding, and represents nothing more than restrictions, rules and regulations for some astrologers. But those trained in the Huber Method see Saturn quite differently.

• Take a look at the courses APA offers

Saturn represents the world of matter and form. We ourselves are physical forms, and in the natal chart, Saturn symbolises, amongst other things, the physical body. It also symbolises, on a psychological level, such things as memory, the ability to be well organised, to create structures and systems, and yes, our doubts and fears will be somewhere in there too because they are part of the innate protective mechanism that helps keep us safe.

In the context of The Family Model (see chart of Princess Beatrice in previous post), Saturn also represents the principle of mothering. Traditional, conventional astrologers who equate mother with the Moon, throw hands up in horror at the thought of "Saturn as mother" - but hang on! I said mothering principle. Stop and think for a moment about who looks out for our safety and well-being when we are small, who feeds us, clothes us, keeps us warm, gives us the "rules" and guidelines to help us fit into society as we grow up, tells us to wash our hands before we sit down at the table, to clean our teeth and to be home by a certain time. It's the person in our lives who fulfils the function of mother. It may not be mum all the time; in our rapidly changing society it may be father who stays home and looks after the family, or grandparents, a significant other family member or guardian. Whoever it is, they will fulfil that mothering role. And this kind of caring and protection is attributed very firmly to Saturn.

For fun you could start to look out for manifestations of this planet in everyday life. Happy Saturn spotting.

Beatrice's chart - and Family Model

Well, here is Beatrice's chart (see previous post). It's a complete mystery to me why it wouldn't upload the last 7 times I tried ( I joke not...!).

A few more thoughts about her chart on the eve of her 18th birthday:

• Saturn is closely conjunct Uranus; both ride high in the chart. There could be a "push-me-pull-you" effect of craving change and needing security.

In the context of the Family Model, Saturn represents the mother figure. In Beatrice's case, this is Fergie, and according to what can be read in the newspapers, they get along well. But check out the Moon, which represents the child - Beatrice herself - and you'll see that this is opposite the Saturn/Uranus conjunction, hinting at sparky times of conflict and confrontation between the two of them. This could be particularly pronounced in the area of relationships.

Not only that - if Saturn represents Beatrice's mother figure, then doesn't the conjunction with Uranus fit in with what is known about Fergie? Never one to conform to the "expected" norm of a royal-to-be before her marriage to Prince Andrew, she appeared as a bit of a lad, up for a laugh and with a mind of her own.

Age Progression: Princess Beatrice's 18th

As BBC Radio Stoke's Resident Astrologer, I was asked to make some comments on air on the chart of Princess Beatrice as she celebrates her 18th birthday. Curiosity was aroused because she was born on 8.8.88 at 8.18 pm, in London. Is there anything significant in this line-up of "8's", the presenter asked, and how does this fit in with her 18th birthday? You may have seen in the press that a big party was planned for her, complete with guests wearing 18th century-style costumes. A search on the internet gives information on how mum Fergie is deeply into the 18th century, that Beatrice & Eugenie were named after previous royals from that era, and that an earlier Princess Beatrice was born in 1888.

So, what about all those 8's? And was her time of birth elected to increase that "8-ness" by Fergie having a caeserean section? I'm not a numerologist, but do I know some Kabbalah. In this system, the number 8 refers to the sphere on the Tree of Life known as Hod. This corresponds, amongst other things, to the planet Mercury.

In my internet search on Beatrice, I found a report on the BBC website about her being dyslexic. Now that's interesting since Mercury, associated with Hod as it is in Kabbalah, is the planet in astrological psychology which is associated with the drive to communicate, learn, and gather information. Mercury, in Beatrice's chart, is in Leo in 7th House, and conjunct her Sun, giving her a forceful ability to speak out and be noticed, but this conjunction only has blue/green aspects, so maybe it can be a bit laid back?

This could, however, be offset by the Efficiency triangle in her chart with Mars at its apex; her chart has a lot of red "doing" aspects. The Dominant Learning triangle of Moon, Pluto and Mars is retrograde, suggesting that she might need several attempts when learning major life lessons - perhaps reflecting some aspects of her dyslexia, too?

Her Age Progression is at a very significant point. Age 18 marks one of the major times on the Huber's LifeClock. It's the age when we start moving away from the safety of the "nest" to seek out our own individuality and make our own way in the world. We separate from the heritage and tradition we were brought up with (and how easy might that be if you're a royal princess?!); we want new relationships and the self-realisation that experience of these can bring.

Beatrice's Age Point is moving through Gemini, offering the potential for communication, the exploration of ideas, meeting a variety of people and learning new things. In 2004, her Age Point was conjunct Jupiter, indicating the opening up of new horizons and a spot of adventure. And there were media reports of her having a 24 year-old boy friend when she was 16......

She has a dynamic, flexible life motivation, with a strong tendency to be active, to be noticed and to come across in a Leonine way which is going to be hard to ignore! Yet the most beneficial thing she could concentrate on is to strengthen her own sense of self.

Blogger works in mysterious ways.........the chart that headed this posting has completely disappeared, and five attempts to download it again have all failed! So watch this space - and I'll keep trying!

Wayne Rooney

Hearing England manager Svedish Sven speaking about the behaviour of Wayne Rooney at a press conference following England being knocked out of the World Cup, I decided to take a look at his chart (24.10.1985, Liverpool. No time of birth so set for noon).

Sven was saying something along the lines of "He has a temper, but you'll have to learn to live with that if you want him around - you're going to need him, he's the best you've got" ( or words to that effect).

It was the mention of the temper that got me intrigued, following on from seeing him stamp on the groin of the Portuguese player he'd collided with during the match, and getting sent off. That stamp looked pretty nasty, vicious and decisive to me. I reckoned that his chart could contain some indication of where that kind of behaviour comes from.

And I wasn't disappointed. Rooney is a Sun Scorpio - the Sign that is renowned for its sting in the tail and for having the last lash of revenge, which is exactly what that stamp on the groin looked like to me. Not only does he have a Scorpio Sun, he has 3 other planets in this Sign as well, emphasising Scorpionic traits. Most significantly, Pluto is conjunct his Sun, suggesting that he has an urge to control, manipulate, dominate and generally put his power out into the world. This, when channelled through his sporting skills, makes him a star player. However, at 20, he's young and as yet unable to control this energy, so it spills out into on-field behaviour as agressiveness and temper ( it may well do off-field as well, but I don't read the sports pages or the tabloids..! I simply observe).

Sun/Pluto are part of the red Efficiency/Performance Triangle, which contains a lot of working energy, itching to be expressed via the apex planet Jupiter. Interesting to see that the opposition, where the energy is held and stored, is pinned by Sun/Pluto at one end and the Moon's Node at the other. Experience suggests that if the Node is part of an aspect pattern, the pattern does not work as smoothly and as completely as it might if that area of life where the Node is placed is being ignored or is under-developed. As I don't have Rooney's time of birth, I can't speculate more about which area of life this might be, but it's worth remembering that the South Node is opposite the North, so is conjunct his Sun/Pluto. The South Node indicates a place where behaviour and responses are very familiar, well-worn and easy to fall into, suggesting that Rooney will opt for the powerful Scorpionic "sting" as a matter of habit, because it serves him well.

Read more about the Efficiency/Performance Triangle - and other aspect patterns - in "Aspect Pattern Astrology" and "The Cosmic Egg Timer", and about the Moon's Nodes in "Moon Node Astrology", all available from the APA on-line Book Shop.